Improvement in chairs



2 Sheets-Sheet 1, Tv. T DIS T E V l N No. l69,0645. Pmmedot.19,1875.A

NVENTOR f ATTORNEYS N.PETERS, PHOTLLXTHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D Cv UNITED STATES PATENT THOMAS TOSTEVIN, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,065, dated October 19, 1875; application filed September 11,1875.

OAsE A.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS TosTEvIN, of Council Bluffs, in the county of Pottawattamie and State of Iowa, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Chairs and Seats; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of thev construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figures l and 2 of the drawings are representations of detail views of my chair, and Fig. 3 is a side view thereof. Figs. 4 are detail'views, and Fig. 5 a side view with back down. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views thereof.

This invention has relation to improvements in chairs; and it consists in combining with a seat-frame a spring seat-back frame, whereby the latter is allowed to yield downwardly to some extent, and to have a vibratory motion to and fro. It also consists in combining with a seat-frame and a spring back-frame a springsupported, suspended seat, whereby the latter is allowed to have a longitudinal swaying movement back and forth, as well as a slight lateral play between the uprights of the seatframe, -thereby adding greatly to the comfort of the occupant of the chair. It furthermore consists in combining with a seat-frame a vertically-adjustable spring-supported seat,where by the height of the latter from the ground may be varied at pleasure, and yet the yielding swaying motion thereof preserved. It also consists in the combination, with a suspended seat and a suspended back attached thereto, of an adjusting-roller for raising the back part of the seat, and a lock for holding the said roller against backward rotation. It additionally consists in combining, with a suspended swaying seat and a suspended flexible back, adjustable springs having the general curvature of the spine, whereby the conformation of the seat-back may be changed to suit a long or short bodied man. It consists,.moreover, in the combination, with a suspended swaying seat, a lock or stay, whereby the said seat is capable of being made stationary when necessary or desirable. It finally consists in the arrangement and novel construction of the various minor devices used in connection with the above, whereby very useful and luxurious results are obtained, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

In the annexed drawings, the letter A designates the side uprights or standards of my improved chair, which are, preferably, of the general shape of the letter T, and may be made of wood or iron, or of a combination of the two, as I may elect. The lower portion of these standards is broadly' spread for the purpose of affording a proper base, and they may be provided with rockers c, if I so elect. The upper bar a of the standards constitutes the seatarms, and they are each provided upon their front ends with a curved spring, S, and upon their rear ends with a vertically-vibratin g loop, b, for a purpose hereinafter explained. Standards A are connected by means of transverse braces c, the ends of which may be mortised into the lower part of the said standards, and by means of a curved central brace, c1, the connection of which with the uprights is further secured by means of angle-irons d. The object of curving brace cl will be seen hereinafter.

B represents segmental rack-bars, which are rigidly secured to the rear of uprights A, where the latter are of wood, but which may form a component part thereof when made of metal, with which rack-bars the lower ends of the side rails d of a spring back-frame, C, are adapted to engage. These rails are preferably of steel, and of flat curved form; but they may be made of wood, and their upper ends are united by means of a brace, d. They also pass downward through loops b on the4 rear ends of seat-arms a', as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. By this means the pitch of the frame in relation to the seat may be adjusted to any desired angle; and, in order that the entire chair may be lifted bodily when requisite, I

have provided the lower ends of rails d withl y,

a hook, e, which, being engaged under racks B, will secure the back-frame detachably to,y

the seat-uprights A. The upper ends of frame C, at each side, are provided with a prismatic socket, f, in which are received the correspondingly-shaped ends of a roller, D, which is thereby held against backward rotation. To this roller the back E of the chair, composed of any suitable iiexible material, is rigidly secured at one end, its other being attached to the rear edge of a flexible seat, E. means the seat-bottom E' is suspended from the chair-back independently of the seat-frame at the rear, its front end beingsupported from the curved springs S in the following manner, to wit: These springs are rigidly secured into arecess in the under side ot seat-arms a by means of a suitable bolt or screw, and they sustain, in their looped lower ends, a bar or rod, It, to which are secured one end of ilexible steel springs i, the other ends of which are rigidly secured to the front edge of the seat?" bottom, as shown in Fig. 3. The effect ot' this construction is, that the seat is allowed to sway back and forth and sidewise between the seatarms, and also to have a degree of' spring action in a vertical plane through the yielding ot' springs S under the weight of a sitter. In order that these springs may not be unduly racked or torn out of their recesses by the weight of a heavy sitter, I have employed stopbolts j, which pass through slots made in the recessed portion thereof into the material of the seat-arms, the enlarged heads of which will catch the springs, and produce the desired result. The' chair-seatl1lI may be raised or.

lowered iufron t, when necessary, by the follow- 'ing means, to wit: The suspension-springs S 'are made sectional or in two parts, the upper section K being provided with a number of spaced perfor-ations, Z, and the lower section K with two or more hooks, l', adapted to be received in the said 'perforations By detachin g the lowerl'rom the upper section, and passing the hooks into perfor-ations above or below those formerly in use, the front of the chairseat maybe raised or lowered, as the case may be. The back of the chair-seat may also be raised or lowered, as may prove desirable, by detaching the ad j usting-roller D from the locksockets in the upper end of the seat-back frame, rolling or unrolling the flexible material ot the back, and, the desired adjustment `heilig ob-` tained, replacing the said roller in its seat. 4

In practice l sometimes use a series of independent springs, S', of angular form,'which are provided with spring-coils 02 at two of their angles, the third angle being formed by passing the free end ofthe wire through a loop, '12', formed on the other. These springs are secured to the flexible fabric of which the seatbottom is preferably made by means ot' wire ties j', and the tlexible seat-back is attached thereto by means of a hook, d', which ,is thrust into an eye formed 011 the lower edge ofthe seat-back. rIlhe effect of this arrangement, the seat being flexible, is that each spring acting independently of the other will allow the seat to coliform to the angularities of the person, thus securing a great increase of comfort to the sitter.

F indicates suitable metallic springs, which are sheathed, as shown in Fig. 7, in the material of the back, and are made to simulate .By this- In order that the seat-bottom may be held i steady under certain circumstances, I propose to make use ot a U-shaped rod, G, the bent portion of which is fitted 1n between Mthseat and springs i, and is attached to the former by means of a suitable tie, m. This rod is in the nature of a prop, and when its.,

ends are drawn down and engaged in re-` cesses Vin central brace c1 it will prevent the seat from. swaying, but will allow it to yield4 vertically.

In practice I may sometimes dispense wlth the seatarms, in which case springs S will be; secured'to the lower front edges of uprights A, and will have their ends directly attached to rod h, thus securing the back-and-brth swaying motion and the vertical yield.

The central brace c1 being curved, the yielding ofthe flexible bottom E will not bring the person ot' the sitter in contact therewith.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

' l. The combination, with a seatframe, of a` back-supporting frame, having elastic side pieces d d, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with a seat-trame and a-spring-back frame attached thereto, of a spring-supported suspended seat-bottom, sub"" stantially as specilied.

3. The combination, with a seat-frame, of' the vertically-adjustable suspended seat E', substantially as specified. i

4. The combinatiomHwith the suspended seat E and a iiexible back covering said seat, and attached thereto at the rear edge, ot' an adjustingroller, D, adapted to be locked against backward rotation, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the iiexible and adjustable seat-back E, of the endwise-mov` be sheathed springs F, substantially as speci- 6. The combination, with the suspended swaying seat E', of a stav, G, for holding it stationary, substantially as specilied.

7. The combination, with the suspended seat-bottom E and flexible seat-back E', of the springs t' and angular rear suiiporting` springs S', substantially as specified.

8. The combination, with a flexible seat bottom and back, of the springs S', connectl ing the same, substantially as specified.

9. The combination, with a flexible ver` tically-adjustable seat-bottom, E, ot' the con` cave central brace clbetween uprights A, substantially as specified.

10. The sectional suspensionspring S, conf the natural curvature of the spine. TheseI sisting of a hooked section, K', and a bent and perforated section, K, the latter being arranged in a recess in the chair-arm, and secured in position by the stop-bolt J, substantially as described and shown, and for the purpose specified.

11. The combination, with the seat-frame. of the back-support, having elastic side pieces, the flexible web constituting said back, and connected with the seat E', said seat being suspended by springs from the arm-pieces.

12. A chair-seat suspended within the seat- THOS. TOSTEVIN. Witnesses:

WALTER C. MASI, BRYAN H. MORSE. 

